1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic stringed musical instrument, and more specifically to an electronic stringed musical instrument having a function of selecting a desired musical tone parameter just before and during musical performance by a user.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An electronic stringed musical instrument is well known in which a head portion and a body portion are formed integral with a neck portion at its opposite ends. A fingerboard is constructed on the neck portion for a fingering operation. A plurality of strings are stretched along the fingerboard. Various switches e.g., timbre (tone color) selection switches, rhythm selection switches and automatic rhythm performance start/stop switch are arranged on the upper surface of the body portion. In addition a tremolo or vibrato arm is arranged on the body portion for varying a pitch of musical tone or tones which are being sounded by plucking strumming, or picking operation of the strings. Inside of the body portion, a tone generation circuit is provided to synthesize such musical tones.
With a stringed musical instrument of this kind, a large number of tone parameter selection switches must be arranged on the surface of the body portion in order to accomplish the instrument functions required.
However, arranging such a large number of the musical tone parameter selection switches over the body surface does increase the cost of parts. If the space of the body is small, it is difficult to arrange and mount those switches on it. Further, a player normally plays the stringed musical instrument by using both hands to operate the strings so that during the performance, the player cannot easily operate the musical tone parameter selection switches arranged over the body surface; the only exception may be to operate the tremolo arm since it is positioned adjacent to the location where the strings are plucked. Therefore, whenever the player attempts to change the parameter of musical tone by operating the switches, he or she must suspend or interrupt the musical performance of the instrument for the parameter change. This restricts the musicality of the performance.
In order to perform music more realistically, it is desired to provide a stringed instrument with which not only the kind of the tone parameters but also the values of the selected parameter can be changed at hand during the performance.
In the state of the art, however, the tremolo arm positioned adjacent the strings is used merely for varying the pitch of the musical tone during the performance. Japanese patent publication gazette No. (TOKKOU SHO) 57-52596 shows an apparatus which can vary the values of a preselected parameter of the musical tone (pitch or volume) by operating the tremolo arm. The preselection of the parameter to be modulated by the tremolo arm operation is made by operating a mode switch disposed on the body surface, It is difficult to depress such mode switch during the performance to affect a parameter change.